AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP)—Joe Dumars broke up the Detroit Pistons when he was convinced they were no longer an Eastern Conference power.

Now that Detroit’s record is among the worst in the league, the team’s president of basketball operations sounds like he’s ready to make more moves over the next month.

“We will not be averse to being active before the trading deadline,” Dumars said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press. “But we’re definitely not going to be active just to be active. At this stage, it has to make sense for us going forward. We’re not looking for a short-term fix.”

One player could not cure all the Pistons’ problems, even if he was a desperately needed point guard or a low-post scorer.

“We are not a finished product,” Dumars said. “We have some holes to fill and we will go about doing that.”

Detroit was expected to endure a rebuilding season after dealing Chauncey Billups(notes) last season, then losing Rasheed Wallace(notes) and Antonio McDyess(notes) in free agency during the summer.

Few predicted the Pistons would be this bad. Detroit (12-25) has lost 13 of 14 and barely avoided a franchise-record losing streak earlier this week. Adding to the franchise’s woes, it usually has thousands of empty seats for home games and those in the house for an uninspired loss last week did as much jeering as cheering.

Not long ago, the Pistons’ arena was regularly filled as the team advanced to the conference finals six straight years—the league’s longest streak since the Los Angeles Lakers’ run in the 1980s—and won the NBA title in 2004.

Now, it takes a visit from Kobe Bryant(notes) to have a true sellout.

The Pistons are announcing an average crowd of 18,523 this season—3,000 fewer than last season—after boasting a sellout streak over four straight seasons.

Motor City fans haven’t been this disinterested in their NBA team since the Pistons averaged 14,813 fans during the 2000-01 season, back when Dumars was in his first season in charge after starring for the team in the Bad Boys era.

“It’s been a major challenge to get people to come out to watch our team in transition in this economy,” Pistons CEO Tom Wilson said. “People are looking for bargains, like our four-for-$44 promotion. Even if we get 15,000 warm bodies in the building, they’re not paying what they did a couple years ago because the price they’re willing to pay is reflective of our team being down.”

The Pistons were upbeat during Thursday’s practice, two days after winning at Washington and snapping their losing streak at 13—one away from the franchise record.

“It’s amazing what winning can do,” Villanueva said. “You could tell by the vibe with everybody that the pressure is off.”

Not quite.

The Pistons are so focused on getting better for the future that they might part ways with standouts from the past, 31-year-old Richard Hamilton(notes) and 29-year-old Tayshaun Prince(notes), if they can move either or both past-their-prime players.

Hamilton insisted he will not follow the rumor mill before the Feb. 18 trade deadline and wonder if the eighth season in Detroit will be his last.

“The question I ask myself is, `Do I think we can win here?’ and my answer is, `Yes,”’ Hamilton said. “It’s just been tough with all of the injuries. Once we get everyone on the floor playing together to find a rhythm, we’ll be fine.”

The good news for the Pistons is that there are a lot of bad teams in the East. Detroit was just 4 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot on Thursday and eight of its last nine games this month are at home.

“Absolutely, this is definitely a chance for us to make a push,” Villanueva said.

The affable forward did not take that cue from first-year coach John Kuester.

“I’m just concerned with the next game,” said Kuester, referring to Friday’s home game against New Orleans.

Even if Detroit fails to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001, don’t expect one of Dumars’ changes to involve Kuester after firing Michael Curry following only one season.

“I think John has done a good job, given all the adjustments he’s had to make with an unprecedented amount of injuries,” Dumars said. “He’s incorporated rookies and free agents in what we knew was going to be a transition year.

“We were so easily identifiable for so long, but that only after we built our core up at the beginning of the great run we just finished. When you’re building, it’s hard to have an identity.”

_____________________________________________________________

I'd trade Monta for Stuckey and Prince. Prince is an expirer that could fit in well if he is kept, as he defends well and could be had for the MLE maybe. Stuckey has very good potential and already is playing quite well, probably better suited as a SG.

Either that or Maggette for Prince straight up or Maggette for Oberto and Kwame Brown expirers

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP)—Joe Dumars broke up the Detroit Pistons when he was convinced they were no longer an Eastern Conference power.

Now that Detroit’s record is among the worst in the league, the team’s president of basketball operations sounds like he’s ready to make more moves over the next month.

“We will not be averse to being active before the trading deadline,” Dumars said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press. “But we’re definitely not going to be active just to be active. At this stage, it has to make sense for us going forward. We’re not looking for a short-term fix.”

One player could not cure all the Pistons’ problems, even if he was a desperately needed point guard or a low-post scorer.

“We are not a finished product,” Dumars said. “We have some holes to fill and we will go about doing that.”

Detroit was expected to endure a rebuilding season after dealing Chauncey Billups(notes) last season, then losing Rasheed Wallace(notes) and Antonio McDyess(notes) in free agency during the summer.

Few predicted the Pistons would be this bad. Detroit (12-25) has lost 13 of 14 and barely avoided a franchise-record losing streak earlier this week. Adding to the franchise’s woes, it usually has thousands of empty seats for home games and those in the house for an uninspired loss last week did as much jeering as cheering.

Not long ago, the Pistons’ arena was regularly filled as the team advanced to the conference finals six straight years—the league’s longest streak since the Los Angeles Lakers’ run in the 1980s—and won the NBA title in 2004.

Now, it takes a visit from Kobe Bryant(notes) to have a true sellout.

The Pistons are announcing an average crowd of 18,523 this season—3,000 fewer than last season—after boasting a sellout streak over four straight seasons.

Motor City fans haven’t been this disinterested in their NBA team since the Pistons averaged 14,813 fans during the 2000-01 season, back when Dumars was in his first season in charge after starring for the team in the Bad Boys era.

“It’s been a major challenge to get people to come out to watch our team in transition in this economy,” Pistons CEO Tom Wilson said. “People are looking for bargains, like our four-for-$44 promotion. Even if we get 15,000 warm bodies in the building, they’re not paying what they did a couple years ago because the price they’re willing to pay is reflective of our team being down.”

The Pistons were upbeat during Thursday’s practice, two days after winning at Washington and snapping their losing streak at 13—one away from the franchise record.

“It’s amazing what winning can do,” Villanueva said. “You could tell by the vibe with everybody that the pressure is off.”

Not quite.

The Pistons are so focused on getting better for the future that they might part ways with standouts from the past, 31-year-old Richard Hamilton(notes) and 29-year-old Tayshaun Prince(notes), if they can move either or both past-their-prime players.

Hamilton insisted he will not follow the rumor mill before the Feb. 18 trade deadline and wonder if the eighth season in Detroit will be his last.

“The question I ask myself is, `Do I think we can win here?’ and my answer is, `Yes,”’ Hamilton said. “It’s just been tough with all of the injuries. Once we get everyone on the floor playing together to find a rhythm, we’ll be fine.”

The good news for the Pistons is that there are a lot of bad teams in the East. Detroit was just 4 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot on Thursday and eight of its last nine games this month are at home.

“Absolutely, this is definitely a chance for us to make a push,” Villanueva said.

The affable forward did not take that cue from first-year coach John Kuester.

“I’m just concerned with the next game,” said Kuester, referring to Friday’s home game against New Orleans.

Even if Detroit fails to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001, don’t expect one of Dumars’ changes to involve Kuester after firing Michael Curry following only one season.

“I think John has done a good job, given all the adjustments he’s had to make with an unprecedented amount of injuries,” Dumars said. “He’s incorporated rookies and free agents in what we knew was going to be a transition year.

“We were so easily identifiable for so long, but that only after we built our core up at the beginning of the great run we just finished. When you’re building, it’s hard to have an identity.”

_____________________________________________________________

I'd trade Monta for Stuckey and Prince. Prince is an expirer that could fit in well if he is kept, as he defends well and could be had for the MLE maybe. Stuckey has very good potential and already is playing quite well, probably better suited as a SG.

Either that or Maggette for Prince straight up or Maggette for Oberto and Kwame Brown expirers

I am not opposed to your trades but Oberto plays for the Wizards not the Pistons.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP)—Joe Dumars broke up the Detroit Pistons when he was convinced they were no longer an Eastern Conference power.

Now that Detroit’s record is among the worst in the league, the team’s president of basketball operations sounds like he’s ready to make more moves over the next month.

“We will not be averse to being active before the trading deadline,” Dumars said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press. “But we’re definitely not going to be active just to be active. At this stage, it has to make sense for us going forward. We’re not looking for a short-term fix.”

One player could not cure all the Pistons’ problems, even if he was a desperately needed point guard or a low-post scorer.

“We are not a finished product,” Dumars said. “We have some holes to fill and we will go about doing that.”

Detroit was expected to endure a rebuilding season after dealing Chauncey Billups(notes) last season, then losing Rasheed Wallace(notes) and Antonio McDyess(notes) in free agency during the summer.

Few predicted the Pistons would be this bad. Detroit (12-25) has lost 13 of 14 and barely avoided a franchise-record losing streak earlier this week. Adding to the franchise’s woes, it usually has thousands of empty seats for home games and those in the house for an uninspired loss last week did as much jeering as cheering.

Not long ago, the Pistons’ arena was regularly filled as the team advanced to the conference finals six straight years—the league’s longest streak since the Los Angeles Lakers’ run in the 1980s—and won the NBA title in 2004.

Now, it takes a visit from Kobe Bryant(notes) to have a true sellout.

The Pistons are announcing an average crowd of 18,523 this season—3,000 fewer than last season—after boasting a sellout streak over four straight seasons.

Motor City fans haven’t been this disinterested in their NBA team since the Pistons averaged 14,813 fans during the 2000-01 season, back when Dumars was in his first season in charge after starring for the team in the Bad Boys era.

“It’s been a major challenge to get people to come out to watch our team in transition in this economy,” Pistons CEO Tom Wilson said. “People are looking for bargains, like our four-for-$44 promotion. Even if we get 15,000 warm bodies in the building, they’re not paying what they did a couple years ago because the price they’re willing to pay is reflective of our team being down.”

The Pistons were upbeat during Thursday’s practice, two days after winning at Washington and snapping their losing streak at 13—one away from the franchise record.

“It’s amazing what winning can do,” Villanueva said. “You could tell by the vibe with everybody that the pressure is off.”

Not quite.

The Pistons are so focused on getting better for the future that they might part ways with standouts from the past, 31-year-old Richard Hamilton(notes) and 29-year-old Tayshaun Prince(notes), if they can move either or both past-their-prime players.

Hamilton insisted he will not follow the rumor mill before the Feb. 18 trade deadline and wonder if the eighth season in Detroit will be his last.

“The question I ask myself is, `Do I think we can win here?’ and my answer is, `Yes,”’ Hamilton said. “It’s just been tough with all of the injuries. Once we get everyone on the floor playing together to find a rhythm, we’ll be fine.”

The good news for the Pistons is that there are a lot of bad teams in the East. Detroit was just 4 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot on Thursday and eight of its last nine games this month are at home.

“Absolutely, this is definitely a chance for us to make a push,” Villanueva said.

The affable forward did not take that cue from first-year coach John Kuester.

“I’m just concerned with the next game,” said Kuester, referring to Friday’s home game against New Orleans.

Even if Detroit fails to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001, don’t expect one of Dumars’ changes to involve Kuester after firing Michael Curry following only one season.

“I think John has done a good job, given all the adjustments he’s had to make with an unprecedented amount of injuries,” Dumars said. “He’s incorporated rookies and free agents in what we knew was going to be a transition year.

“We were so easily identifiable for so long, but that only after we built our core up at the beginning of the great run we just finished. When you’re building, it’s hard to have an identity.”

_____________________________________________________________

I'd trade Monta for Stuckey and Prince. Prince is an expirer that could fit in well if he is kept, as he defends well and could be had for the MLE maybe. Stuckey has very good potential and already is playing quite well, probably better suited as a SG.

Either that or Maggette for Prince straight up or Maggette for Oberto and Kwame Brown expirers

I am not opposed to your trades but Oberto plays for the Wizards not the Pistons.

Really? I went to Hoopshype and saw Oberto on the Pistons payroll. Guess they bought him out him but have to pay him one more season. Substitute him with another expiring Pistons player

I'm starting to believe he was lucky when they got the ring. Or that Larry Brown told him EXACTLY who to get...

Think you're being too harsh. Dumars had to transition the team and his moves haven't been good yet, but he needs time. He need to make a couple of tradesdefinately, but that team is not as bad as their record shows

I'm starting to believe he was lucky when they got the ring. Or that Larry Brown told him EXACTLY who to get...

Think you're being too harsh. Dumars had to transition the team and his moves haven't been good yet, but he needs time. He need to make a couple of tradesdefinately, but that team is not as bad as their record shows

He's been just awful since 2004. He did some good moves before that season:

-Traded Grant Hill for Ben Wallace (Hill was gonna leave for nothing, so it was a great move).

- Traded Jerry Stackhouse for Rip Hamilton.

- Traded a bunch of bums for 'Sheed.

- Drafted Tayshaun Prince and Okur.

- Signed Billups, McDyess and Larry Brown.

But all of those moves took place before the 2005 year. Something happened since then, because every move has been a bad one:

- Replaced Brown with Flip Saunders (overrated, and now people are starting to realize that much with his Wizards).

- Traded Billups and McDyess for Iverson.

- Used A LOT of his cap room in guys like Villanueva and Ben Gordon.

- Drafted DARKO MILICIC (over Wade, Melo or Bosh, just buying all the hype about him).

Other than Milicic, his drafting has been decent, but not great. Affalo, Stuckey, Jerebko, Maxiell... all of them are decent role players (even Prince is, although on a different level), but nothing else. He didn't have many high picks, other than Darko, tho, so that's a pretty decent bounty.

But his signings and trades, other than Billups and Ben Wallace, have been just awful.

I don't know, it just seems like the last 4 years he's done a very average job, and I'm probably a bit lenient.

I'm starting to believe he was lucky when they got the ring. Or that Larry Brown told him EXACTLY who to get...

Think you're being too harsh. Dumars had to transition the team and his moves haven't been good yet, but he needs time. He need to make a couple of tradesdefinately, but that team is not as bad as their record shows

He's been just awful since 2004. He did some good moves before that season:

-Traded Grant Hill for Ben Wallace (Hill was gonna leave for nothing, so it was a great move).

- Traded Jerry Stackhouse for Rip Hamilton.

- Traded a bunch of bums for 'Sheed.

- Drafted Tayshaun Prince and Okur.

- Signed Billups, McDyess and Larry Brown.

But all of those moves took place before the 2005 year. Something happened since then, because every move has been a bad one:

- Replaced Brown with Flip Saunders (overrated, and now people are starting to realize that much with his Wizards).

- Traded Billups and McDyess for Iverson.

- Used A LOT of his cap room in guys like Villanueva and Ben Gordon.

- Drafted DARKO MILICIC (over Wade, Melo or Bosh, just buying all the hype about him).

Other than Milicic, his drafting has been decent, but not great. Affalo, Stuckey, Jerebko, Maxiell... all of them are decent role players (even Prince is, although on a different level), but nothing else. He didn't have many high picks, other than Darko, tho, so that's a pretty decent bounty.

But his signings and trades, other than Billups and Ben Wallace, have been just awful.

I don't know, it just seems like the last 4 years he's done a very average job, and I'm probably a bit lenient.

He hasn't done anything great since the moves that you mentioned that really were the reasons why the Pistons were a great team for a long time, but he hasn't been awful.

Iverson for Billups looks more like a salary shedding than anything else, as Iverson was an expirer. I think that move was bad, because he was basically looking at Stuckey to take over from Billups and maybe for Iverson to become the star SG they wanted, allowing for the trading of Hamilton. I'm pretty sure that's what Dumars wnated with that move. The Pistons were falling slowly with Billups and he wanted to find something to bring back up to being among the best teams again.

The drafting of Darko was stupid, but I see it as more stupid that Darko wasn't used, almost at all. Darko was deflated after his experience in Detroit, but had he been used, like in a three man rotation with the Wallaces, maybe he would have been something. Picking him ahead of Carmelo, who was the most sure thing after Lebron, was a bad move, because he could have traded Carmelo and gotten either a star player, big or small, or at least two very good players. I see that that's where he stuffed it.

I've never thought much of Ben Gordon and am seeing him as alot like Crawford, in that he scores alot but does little else and doesn't help his team win. Villa, though I liked him a fair bit, really has been a disappointment and not much of a bigman at all, quite an average player really, not worth the money. Dumars is looking for players that will form a great group that work well and he still hasn't found it

migya wrote:He hasn't done anything great since the moves that you mentioned that really were the reasons why the Pistons were a great team for a long time, but he hasn't been awful.

Well, I'm starting to believe Larry Brown was the one to blame for building that team, not Dumars. Since Larry left, Dumars' been pretty average, and I'm being nice.

migya wrote:Iverson for Billups looks more like a salary shedding than anything else, as Iverson was an expirer. I think that move was bad, because he was basically looking at Stuckey to take over from Billups and maybe for Iverson to become the star SG they wanted, allowing for the trading of Hamilton. I'm pretty sure that's what Dumars wnated with that move. The Pistons were falling slowly with Billups and he wanted to find something to bring back up to being among the best teams again.

Well, he made the Nuggets a western powerhouse with that trade. It's obvious Billups had A LOT of good basketball left.

And Stuckey is overrated, by fans and the Pistons franchise. He's a nice player to have around, but shouldn't start in this league. Can be a good backup, but trading Billups to open minutes for him was just stupid.

migya wrote:The drafting of Darko was stupid, but I see it as more stupid that Darko wasn't used, almost at all. Darko was deflated after his experience in Detroit, but had he been used, like in a three man rotation with the Wallaces, maybe he would have been something. Picking him ahead of Carmelo, who was the most sure thing after Lebron, was a bad move, because he could have traded Carmelo and gotten either a star player, big or small, or at least two very good players. I see that that's where he stuffed it.

Darko was a product of hype. He had done absolutely nothing in Europe and hype was the only reason he was picked over guys like Melo, Wade or Bosh.

I also think they never knew what to do with him, and that his career could have been a bit more... productive with a different approach. But that has been the worst draft pick of the decade.

migya wrote:I've never thought much of Ben Gordon and am seeing him as alot like Crawford, in that he scores alot but does little else and doesn't help his team win. Villa, though I liked him a fair bit, really has been a disappointment and not much of a bigman at all, quite an average player really, not worth the money. Dumars is looking for players that will form a great group that work well and he still hasn't found it

Yeah, same here. I like Gordon more than Crawford, but both are basically the same kind of player. As for Villa, I had high hopes for him after his rookie year with the Raptors, but he's proven to be a good scorer and not much else.